Electric cars hit record 54% in sales in Norway as VW overtakes Tesla

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Norway is using huge tax incentives to ensure that every new passenger car and van sold in the country by the end of 2025 is a zero-emission vehicle. According to Oyvind Solberg Thorsen, CEO of the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), the country is now ahead of the schedule for record electric vehicle sales in 2020.

The market share of electric cars in Norway rose to 54% in 2020 from 42% the previous year, according to data released on Tuesday by the OFV. When hybrid vehicles are included, the share of electrified vehicles reached 83% last year.

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Gasoline and diesel cars, which had a combined market share of 71% in 2015, are now down to just 17%.

Norway is the world leader in getting off the roads of polluting vehicles and it appears to be gaining momentum, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for two-thirds of all sales during the month of December. Other countries are catching up. The UK said in November it would ban the sale of new cars that run only on fossil fuels in 2030, five years ahead of schedule.

Electric cars being charged in a parking lot on March 29, 2019 in Oslo, Norway.
Automakers have sought to use Norway as a testing ground for their electric ambitions. Volkswagen (VLKAF) Luxury brand Audi was the market leader in 2020, according to the OFV, selling 9,227 of its e-tron vehicles in the country. You’re here (TSLA) Model 3, leader in 2019, was pushed to second place with 7,770 sales. Volkswagen ID.3 placed third with 7,754 cars sold.

Norway, which is the largest producer of crude oil in Western Europe, has used tax breaks to boost sales of electric cars for decades. Oil revenues helped create the country’s $ 1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, which now uses renewables and dumping oil and gas stocks.

According to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, most electric vehicle models are cheaper to buy than similar gasoline models. Buyers receive other incentives, including the use of bus lanes and reduced fares on state ferries and toll roads.

The country has 10,000 publicly accessible charging points, according to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association.

– Chris Liakos and James Frater contributed reporting.

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